Zaid won't be left out, promises Azmin

EXCLUSIVE PKR "newbie" Zaid Ibrahim is assured of a place in the party regardless of the outcome of the party elections this November, declared his deputy presidential rival Azmin Ali.

In part one of an exclusive interview with Malaysiakini , Azmin ( left ) said that the party will always have space for every member, including Zaid.

"I have great respect for Zaid. He has strength that will help the party, and I believe that if I am accepted as deputy president, Zaid will get an important role to continue to help consolidate and prepare the party for the next general elections... this is not a political pronouncement, but my commitment to work with Zaid and other colleagues," he said.

Azmin, who has so far secured nominations as number two from 43 out of 80 party divisions that have so far held their annual general meetings, stressed that winning posts in the November party elections is not the be all and end all in PKR, with the winners' responsibilities going far beyond sitting in a high chair.

He repeatedly emphasised the importance of loyalty to the party, forged in the political fires that have moulded what he considered upstanding characters such as outgoing deputy president Syed Husin Ali, as a key quality for a leader to take charge of the 12-year-old political outfit.

In an apparent swipe at Zaid ( right ), he pointed out that members who hopped on the PKR bandwagon post-March 2008 have the responsibility to fully understand the struggles and aspirations of the party, particularly the core objectives outlined by party advisor Anwar Ibrahim during the Permatang Pauh declaration on Sept 12, 1998.

Azmin, who is currently party vice-president, said this is important in view of allegations by a certain group of "new members" in the party that president Wan Azizah Wan Ismail is a "puppet president" and that Azmin himself had ordered his agents to pay off bloggers to disparage Zaid, among others.

Zaid, who joined PKR about a year after quitting his post as minister in the Prime Minister's Department in charge of law and getting sacked from Umno in 2008, had said in his blog last week that Wan Azizah was merely a "puppet president" as the real power lay with her husband, Anwar, as the party's de-facto chief.

He apparently changed his tune a few days later, putting up another post in his blog declaring his undivided loyalty to Wan Azizah ( right ) should he win the deputy presidential race.

Zaid however continued to wag his finger at Anwar, claiming that Wan Azizah's position as president is continuously undermined by her husband's de-facto position, arguing that it disrespects the party constitution and will reflect badly on the party.

'PKR not a lab rat'

Azmin showed some annoyance with Zaid's contention that Anwar being de-facto chief demeans Wan Azizah's presidency, and defended the decision to create the post for Anwar as a collective decision by members during the last party elections in Kemaman, Terengganu in 2007.

He added that PKR never makes unilateral decision as it practices a culture of muafakat or cooperation, taking into account every possible view before a decision is made on consensus.

"I wish to remind all candidates that the culture we have in Keadilan was built over 12 years. We have our own culture, new politics, a new approach that is clean and democratic.

"We did not build this culture through experimentation, we developed our own culture in the last decade through the conscience of the majority.

"We can't have people coming in yesterday and suddenly decide to revamp (the party), start experimenting... you will destroy the party. Keadilan is not a lab rat," Azmin said.

Rather than undermining the way the party currently works, he said it is more meaningful to beef up the party's strengths and improve on its weaknesses to face the challenges to come, the most pressing being the next general elections.

And it is here that Azmin believes he can help the party should he be elected as deputy president, with his manifesto to set the "Refomasi Agenda to Putrajaya".

Three focus areas

Azmin's manifesto, which he expects to release within the next two weeks, will be based on three key aspects - reinvigorating members' ideals in the party struggle, party loyalty and unity, and tightening up the party's administration and inner workings.

He stressed that it is important to build on the three aspects in tandem if the party is to move forward, but placed particular emphasis on the first aspect as the main driver for the party's growth.

"It is important for members to hold on to ideals... politics without ideals will only remain as an undertaking of low morals and an uncharismatic profession," he said.

Azmin however played down talk of his taking the lead in the deputy presidential race, saying that the high number of nominations he received is not necessarily reflective of support at the grassroots level.

He nevertheless welcomed the open declaration of support given to him by groups of PKR parliamentarians and state assemblypersons, saying that there is nothing wrong for them to do so in a democratic

Taking the example of United States president Barack Obama ( left ), Azmin pointed out that the then presidential candidate received numerous open declarations of support from artists, business owners and community leaders, and believes it is a healthy practice as it encourages party members to keep things above board.

The more the merrier

When asked what he thought of the possibility of more candidates widening the field in the party's deputy presidential race, Azmin said it would be a strong indication that PKR is on the right track in promoting democracy within the party.

"At one time, there was hardly any interest from members to hold party posts, what more the rakyat to join Keadilan. Today, we have up to eight-way contests happening... I see this as a positive, but I must remind candidates to uphold their ethics," he said.

Azmin noted that should there be any more candidates offering themselves as PKR's number two, he expects Selangor Menteri Besar Khalid Ibrahim ( right ) and Perak PKR chief Mustafa Kamil Ayup to be among them as he believes they are both experienced and capable enough.

He however sidestepped a question on how he rates his chances, emphasising that it is all left in the hands of the grassroots members.

"I'm very thankful for the support I've been given. It is very encouraging but I will not be complacent or take the easy way. I will present my 'report card' to the grassroots and explain my manifesto to them as I believe the members should make an informed decision when they make their choice.

"I just hope that when they make their choice, it is based on the work record of the candidate and that they heed our senior leader Syed Husin Ali's advice to choose leaders who are loyal and have been tested," he said.

VIDEO | 12:41 min

Tomorrow: I have no problems with Wan Azizah